On Saturday, April 26, I saw a shooting star. It was the first one I’d seen in years, and it cracked me open – reminded me that the real magic of the universe is hiding in plain sight. It helped that I was sitting on the edge of the second-widest canyon in the world, drinking wine that had been made at a vineyard down the road and watching a crackling fire warm a tin bathtub that looked out over the far-reaching, prehistoric valley. We were staying the night at Bubbletent Australia, and as the fire painted a pattern in the darkness and a pair of kangaroos hopped up the hillside, reality felt like a distant memory.
I’d known of Bubbletent Australia long before I visited. It’s a (delightful) part of my job to track down the most interesting accommodation options in NSW, and the idea of these surreal spherical tents perched on the edge of the Blue Mountains had intrigued me for years. After a night in their newest tent – watching lightning throw clouds of colour into the sky, sharing a secluded hill with just herd of goats and a couple of curious kangaroos – I can confirm that this place will blow your mind. If you’re looking for a quirky stay – something different, something out of the ordinary – this is it.
Clouds set in not long after I saw the shooting star – smothering the galaxy that sparkled above us – so I can’t personally vouch for Bubbletent’s key calling card. Located more than three hours out of Sydney, the Capertee area has little-to-no light pollution, and the stargazing potential here is the main appeal. When owner Sonny Vrebac opened the first three bubble tents back in 2017, he did so to create Australia’s most immersive night-sky experience, one he refers to as "astrotourism". Earlier this year, to elevate the Bubbletent offering, he opened two new sites: feats of off-grid engineering complete with hot showers, huge open-air kitchens, flushing toilets and spinning beds designed to allow stargazers the chance to fall asleep beneath circling constellations. Even without the Milky Way glittering uninterrupted above us, it’s easy to understand his vision.
Each of the five sites is completely secluded, so although you’re aware that there are other people nearby, it’s easy to forget that there’s anybody else on the planet. The new sites face east, with uninterrupted views across the deep sandstone valley that’s home to families of wallabies and solitary eagles who glide confidently above the treetops.
Had the sky been clear, we could have cracked out the telescope (there’s one in each tent to take your stargazing to the next level) and gazed deep into the Southern Sky. Instead, we made use of the other luxuries that the new sites offer: we cooked pizza in the warmly lit kitchen that waits under a wooden awning, and ate it by the fire as the clouds began to cloak the sky. We took our wine glasses and a box of celestial-inspired chocolates down to the bathtub and soaked in the piping-hot water as the first specks of rain began to punctuate the air.
By the time the morning arrived, the rain had really set in, so after breakfast (toasties cooked over a flame in the cast-iron sandwich press) we pulled out the ping-pong table that folds over the bed and pressed spin on the rotating platform. Without the stars visible above us, the spinning bed was kind of unnecessary at nighttime – an Austin Powers-esque addition – but I’d recommend playing ping pong on a rotating plinth as rain pours down around you. And I’d recommend a night at Bubbletent for a NSW staycation that will feel like a trip to another planet. You can learn more and book over here.
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